Modeling 101: How to Remove a Jacket While Walking the Runway

Ahhh…the dreaded jacket removal. It’s a very precise procedure and not as easy at it looks. Here are a few tips on how to remove a jacket while you are walking the runway.

I’ll be wearing this cute B/A/S/L/E/R jacket in the fashion show on Saturday. The dress that I am wearing with it has a great cut on the top, so the fashion director wants me to take off the jacket to show off the dress. (I accidentally suggested removing the jacket while I was at the fitting…been losing sleep about it ever since.) Removing a jacket while in the process of strutting down the runway is not an easy task.

Luckily, the jacket above doesn’t have any buttons to deal with. However, the lining isn’t silk. The lining is some type of fabric (I don’t know fabrics) that doesn’t easily slide on the skin, making it a little tricky to remove it without any hassle.

Here are some options if you need to take off a jacket.

1) You might be able to get away with wearing the jacket on your shoulders like the model in the far-right photo below. You will be totally stressed out trying to keep it on your shoulders while you’re walking, but when you reach the end of the runway you can very easily let it slide off while you are mid-turn.

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2) If the jacket has buttons, begin unbuttoning the jacket starting from the bottom when you begin walking down the runway. If you start at the bottom, hopefully you won’t miss any buttons along the way. Make sure you run your hand along the jacket’s line of buttons so you can physically feel with your fingers if you unbuttoned all of them. (Yeah, it takes talent to do this, folks! Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?)

3) Pray that you don’t have to wear bracelets AND remove a jacket.

4) If you have a plain jacket like the one I will be wearing, the way to remove it is to begin “popping” it off your shoulders just before you get to the end of the runway. You “pop” it by quickly arching your back and throwing back your shoulders. The jacket should be down by your elbows while you are entering your turn, and totally off by the time you have completed your turn. You can either walk back carrying it over one shoulder (I personally don’t prefer this…looks too 80’s Barbizon to me,) or just hold it down by your side.

I’ll add a video after Saturday’s show. Hopefully, I will get it right. My only worry is the sticky fabric.

If you have to remove a jacket, look on the bright side…by the time you exit the runway, you will be halfway undressed and ready to make your next change. Believe me, you don’t ever want to miss a change. (Unless, of course, you don’t ever want to work for the client again.)